Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Fire Sprinter’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Fire Sprinter’, characterized by its uniform, upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with bright greyed red-colored ray florets; long flowering period; and excellent garden performance.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘FIRE SPRINTER’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Fire Sprinter’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2006 of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Early Surfer’, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Padre’, not patented. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2007.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in February, 2008. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Fire Sprinter’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Fire Sprinter’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Uniform, upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant         habit; moderately vigorous growth habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with bright greyed red-colored         ray florets.     -   5. Long flowering period.     -   6. Excellent garden performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from the female parent, ‘Early Surfer’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Grown under natural season conditions, plants of the new         Chrysanthemum flower about five days earlier than plants of         ‘Early Surfer’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Early Surfer’ differ in         ray floret color as plants of ‘Early Surfer’ have pink-colored         ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from the male parent, ‘Padre’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Grown under natural season conditions, plants of the new         Chrysanthemum flower about five days earlier than plants of         ‘Padre’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower more uniformly than         plants of ‘Padre’.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Padre’ differ in ray         floret color as plants of ‘Early Surfer’ have pink-colored ray         florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Fuschini Red’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Fuschini Red’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had decorative type         inflorescences whereas plants of ‘Fuschini Red’ had pompon type         inflorescences.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences         than plants of ‘Fuschini Red’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Fire Sprinter’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet are close-up views of the upper and lower surfaces of typical inflorescences (left) of ‘Fire Sprinter’ and upper and lower surfaces of typical leaves (right) of ‘Fire Sprinter’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the summer and autumn in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 10° C. to 25° C. and night temperatures ranged from 5° C. to 15° C. Plants were 5.5 months old when the photographs and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Fire Sprinter’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Early             Surfer’, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Padre’,             not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at             temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at             temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days             at temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days             at temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial Chrysanthemum with decorative type             inflorescences; stems upright and outwardly spreading giving             a uniformly rounded appearance to the plant; very freely             branching habit with about 80 lateral branches developing             per plant; pinching enhances lateral branch development;             dense and full plant habit; moderately vigorous growth             habit.         -   Plant height.—About 41.3 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 68.5 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 20.3 cm. Diameter: About             4 mm. Internode length: About 2.7 cm. Strength: Strong.             Aspect: Lateral branches positioned about 40° from the main             stem. Texture: Densely pubescent; longitudinally ridged.             Color: Close to 143A to 143B.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About             3.1 cm. Width: About 2.8 cm. Shape: Roughly ovate, three to             five-lobed. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately             lobed and coarsely dentate, sinuses between lateral lobes             divergent to parallel. Texture, upper surface: Slightly             pubescent. Texture, lower surface: Densely pubescent.             Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing leaves, upper             surface: Close to 137B. Developing leaves, lower surface:             Close to 138B. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close             to 137B; venation, close to 137B to 137C. Fully expanded             leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to             147B to 147C. Petiole: Length: About 9 mm. Diameter: About             1.5 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Densely             pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 138B. Color, lower             surface: Close to 138A to 138B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative inflorescence form; inflorescences             borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc and ray florets             arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—Moderately fragrant, pungent.         -   Flowering response.—Long flowering period; under natural             season conditions, plants flower continuously from             mid-September to late October in Belgium.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three weeks in an outdoor nursery;             inflorescences not persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 23 inflorescences develop             per lateral branch; about 1,500 inflorescences per plant.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 8 mm. Diameter: About 7 mm.             Shape: Broadly ovate. Color: Close to 138A to 138B.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 3.6 cm. Depth (height):             About 2 cm. Disc diameter: About 7 mm. Receptacle diameter:             About 3 mm. Receptacle height: About 3 mm. Receptacle color:             Close to 145B.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 1.8 cm. Width: About 4 mm. Shape:             Narrowly oblong to oblanceolate. Apex: Obtuse to broadly             acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Aspect: About 70° from             vertical. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous; longitudinally ridged. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 100. Color: When opening, upper             surface: Close to 180A; at the base, close to 150A. When             opening, lower surface: Close to 177C to 177D; at the base,             close to 144C. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to 180A to             180D; towards the base, close to 180C; at the base, close to             150A; color becoming closer to 183B with development. Fully             opened, lower surface: Close to 165D; at the base, close to             144C to 144D; color becoming closer to 178B with             development.         -   Disc florets.—Length: About 8 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm.             Shape: Tubular, filiform; apices narrowly acute. Texture,             inner and outer surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of disc             florets per inflorescence: About 50 massed at the center of             the inflorescence. Color, immature: Close to 183B; at the             base, close to 150B to 150C. Color, mature: Close to 183B;             at the base, close to 150B to 150C.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 24             arranged in about three whorls. Length: About 6 mm. Width:             About 2.5 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Bluntly acute. Base:             Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth,             glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent. Color, upper             surface: Close to 143B; margins, close to N199A. Color,             lower surface: Close to 138A to 138B; margins, close to             N199A.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 6.4 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 5.2 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.             Aspect: Erect to about 30° from vertical. Strength: Strong.             Texture: Densely pubescent. Color: Close to 138B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:             Present only on ray florets. Quantity: One pistil per             floret. Pistil length: About 5 mm. Style length: About 4 mm.             Style color: Close to 154B. Stigma shape: Cleft, decurrent.             Stigma color: Close to 4A. Ovary color: Close to 144C to             144D.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production have not been             observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance, are hardy to USDA     Hardiness Zones 7 to 8 and will tolerate high temperatures of about     35° C. 

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Fire Sprinter’ as illustrated and described. 